Tour to Raise Consciousness of Youth on Importance of Financial Literacy in Response to Growing Debt in America

NEW YORK –– The pressasked last year, “Can Russell Simmons make debt consolidation hot?” The answer, a resounding yes. Following the tremendous success and positive feedback of the 2005 “Get Your Money Right” financial empowerment national tour, The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) along with, title sponsor Chrysler Financial and presenting sponsor Anheuser-Busch, Inc., are gearing up to launch the 2006 “Get Your Money Right” tour. The financial empowerment tour will kick off on March 25, 2006 at Wayne State University’s Bonstelle Theater in Detroit, Mich.

According to research conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, debt in U.S. households has risen nearly 36 percent over the last four years. As a result of bad credit, spiraling debt and financial mismanagement in our communities, HSAN is continuing its national financial empowerment tour for a second year. The 2006 tour will feature a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN which will include Russell Simmons, Chairman of HSAN, hip-hop artists and financial specialists as well as review the “Get Your Money Right” workbook, being distributed in both English and Spanish. This year, the tour will touch down on college campuses across the country, an ideal audience for its message on improving financial literacy.

The “Get Your Money Right” tour will include stops in five additional cities, including April 22 in New York, May 20 in Miami, September 16 in Atlanta, September 30 in Los Angeles and October 14 in Dallas. The agenda includes a focus on financial literacy, basics of banking, repairing and understanding credit scores, asset and wealth management, vehicle financing and home ownership.

“Poverty and basic lack of knowledge must be challenged,” emphasized Russell Simmons, Chairman of HSAN. “’Get Your Money Right’ is more than a theme. It is an achievable goal when you have the right information. We have high aspirations, but we know to fulfill the aspirations of the hip-hop generation, we have to take the subjects of financial literacy and empowerment seriously and talk with youth in a manner appealing to them.”

“HSAN understands attainment of financial literacy is a life long process and with their support we have found a way to provide the basics of money management with the ultimate goal of raising the awareness and importance of sound financial habits in summit participants,” said William F. Jones Jr., Vice President – Chrysler Financial. “Artists sharing their personal stories have been an effective teaching method.”

“The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network consistently taps into the consciousness of our youth, providing them with not only knowledge, but tools that will help them prepare for a future in which the decisions they make today will determine the opportunities they have tomorrow,” declared Johnny Furr, Vice President, Urban Marketing and Community Affairs, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Anheuser-Busch is proud to continue our partnership with, and support of, the Summits and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, which make a real and lasting difference in the lives of young people in communities across the nation.”

“We have found there is an urgent hunger among 18-35 year olds for vital financial empowerment facts, programs and activities that are participatory,” concluded Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. “Young people want to participate in their own empowerment, and our Hip-Hop Summits this year and our Web site – www.hsan.org – are designed to raise consciousness for millions of people about this important subject.”

For more information on the 2006 “Get Your Money Right” national tour, go to www.hsan.org .

About Chrysler Financial
Chrysler Financial offers a complete line of world-class automotive financial products and services for both dealers and consumers of Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles. In addition to offering vehicle wholesale and retail financing, Chrysler Financial provides fleet management and lines of credit to Chrysler Group dealers. As an industry leader in automotive financing, Chrysler Financial provides its customers with the most innovative and efficient methods of doing business. For more information on Chrysler Financial visit www.chryslerfinancial.com .

About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch is ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in Fortune magazine’s 2005 “America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on Fortune’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or www.africanamericanbud.com .

About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network:
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to
harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education
advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth
throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for
positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war
on poverty and injustice.